


Mannaz - Mankind - a House fan-fic - PG

by BardicRaven



Series: Runic Cycle - House, M.D. [2]
Category: House M.D.
Genre: Broken Promises, Friendship, Gen, Medicine, Prompt Fic, Runes, repairing friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-02
Updated: 2007-08-02
Packaged: 2018-03-18 08:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3563798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BardicRaven/pseuds/BardicRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <h5>Greetings!</h5>
<h5>A companion piece to <a href="http://mystcphoenxcafe.livejournal.com/2481.html#cutid1">Naudhiz - The Ruling Passion</a>. This seems to be turning into a series... not that I'm complaining. Here, Wilson looks at life and death and his friendship with House, and how the two of them serve mankind... and each other.</h5>
<h5>Thanks again to <span class="ljuser i-ljuser i-ljuser-type-P"></span><a class="i-ljuser-profile" href="http://namasteyoga.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://namasteyoga.livejournal.com/"><b>namasteyoga</b></a> and her story "<a href="http://namasteyoga.livejournal.com/23546.html">Five Fourths</a>" for part of the inspiration, and to Craig Hildreth, M.D., author of the blog, The Cheerful Oncologist (<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/thecheerfuloncologist/">http://scienceblogs.com/thecheerfuloncologist/</a>), for giving me insights into the life. (I beg pardon if I offend by feeling the need to say this, but please, gentle reader, if you visit Dr Hildreth's blog, please do so with all the respect you would wish to be treated with in similar circumstances.)</h5><p><strong>Warnings:</strong> Vague, non-specific spoilage for S3. Rated PG for heavy thoughts.</p><h5>
<em>House M.D.</em> and all related characters are the property of Shore Z, Bad Hat Harry, Fox, etc.</h5>
<h5>This particular variation on a theme belonging to others is mine. </h5>
<h5>Enjoy!</h5>
<h5>-Katrina</h5>
    </blockquote>





	Mannaz - Mankind - a House fan-fic - PG

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Five Fourths](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/103586) by Namasteyoga. 



> ##### Greetings!
> 
> ##### A companion piece to [Naudhiz - The Ruling Passion](http://mystcphoenxcafe.livejournal.com/2481.html#cutid1). This seems to be turning into a series... not that I'm complaining. Here, Wilson looks at life and death and his friendship with House, and how the two of them serve mankind... and each other.
> 
> ##### Thanks again to [](http://namasteyoga.livejournal.com/profile)[**namasteyoga**](http://namasteyoga.livejournal.com/) and her story "[Five Fourths](http://namasteyoga.livejournal.com/23546.html)" for part of the inspiration, and to Craig Hildreth, M.D., author of the blog, The Cheerful Oncologist (<http://scienceblogs.com/thecheerfuloncologist/>), for giving me insights into the life. (I beg pardon if I offend by feeling the need to say this, but please, gentle reader, if you visit Dr Hildreth's blog, please do so with all the respect you would wish to be treated with in similar circumstances.)
> 
>  **Warnings:** Vague, non-specific spoilage for S3. Rated PG for heavy thoughts.
> 
> #####  _House M.D._ and all related characters are the property of Shore Z, Bad Hat Harry, Fox, etc.
> 
> ##### This particular variation on a theme belonging to others is mine. 
> 
> ##### Enjoy!
> 
> ##### -Katrina

# Mannaz - Mankind

Wilson knows he doesn’t have to attend every death himself. But at the same time he feels obligated to do so, one last service he can perform for his patients. After sharing their struggle, their pain, to stay away seems somehow heartless, uncaring. And he cannot stand to think of himself as either of those.

If anything, his sin has become to care too much, to divide himself into so many pieces there are days he worries that he may never be able to reclaim them all. It is a hard thing, to travel along this road with patient after patient after patient. Being an oncologist requires a certain depth of caring, a certain ability to both put oneself in another’s body, another’s pain, and yet remain apart, untouched, clinical. It is a delicate juggling act, and one that Wilson is becoming unsure of his ability to continue.

Harder still to do it alone. Things have changed over the last few years. The only thing he could depend on outside of his need to give was that House would be there beside him. But something had changed; he didn’t know what or how or even when, really. Just somewhere down the line, he found himself unable to be what House needed anymore. He’d grown cold, impatient, and as House fell down a rabbit hole not entirely of his own making, Wilson could only stand outside himself and wonder where he’d gone wrong.

He’d never meant to abandon his friend when he needed him most. Two things each cared about - their profession and their friendship. But somehow it had happened anyway, and now here they were - forgiveness given and received, but yet still something missing, with no real clue of how to get it back, or even if it were possible to still do so.

After he goes and stays with the family through the final moments, comforts them through the beginnings of their grief, he goes in search of House. He finds him in his office, studying a journal, a stack of them to one side of the glass-topped desk, the room lit only by the desk lamp and the trickle of light from the hallway outside. 

“You’re here late,” he comments, looking down at his friend, noting the lines etched even more deeply than normal into the familiar face, a legacy of late nights and pain.

House glances up, the momentary wariness of interruption wiped away by recognition. “So are you.” He waits a moment, then adds, “Dead or dying?”

Wilson smiles a small sad smile as he falls into the chair on the other side of House's desk. The moments are few and far between when he can put one over on his friend. And it’s not like it’s the first time he’s sought House out after a difficult case, after all. “Dead. I’ve just come from the family.”

House puts aside the journal and looks over at him. “You don’t have to do it, you know.” If he listens very carefully, Wilson can hear the caring underneath the words, even through everything that has happened.

“I know.”

“You don’t really believe that, though, do you?” Piercing blue eyes bore through him, searching for… what? Confirmation? Denial? Something else altogether? He isn’t sure.

Wilson shakes his head. “Not really.”

“All that caring could kill you one day.” Casually said, but with a frisson of fear beneath .

“Maybe. But not doing it would do it sooner.”

House looks at him, weighing what was said, what it means. Then with a little facial twitch of incomprehension, he picks up the journal again.

_ Liar. You don't believe it either. _ Wilson smiles to himself and lets the silence reign.

They sit quietly for a while, each alone with their own thoughts, when Wilson breaks the silence again.

“House, I…”

“Leave it.” Wilson looks up to see the blue eyes staring at him again, not completely friendly, but not as cold as he had expected them to be either. He allows himself a faint stirring of hope. “It’s gonna take time.”

Wilson nods, grateful for any kind of second chance. After another pause, he asks, “Would you like to go get some dinner?

House glances at him again, and this time the eyes are warmer. He puts down the journal, grabs his cane. “Sure. You’re buying.” He comes around the desk, grabs his coat while Wilson sits there smiling like a fool. He doesn’t know why, but it feels like everything’s going to be all right now.

Together, the two leave House’s office, leaving behind the problems of mankind for one night to start the rebuilding of a friendship. And maybe the thing that will save them both.

 


End file.
